Benelux

Minister Ank Bijleveld of Defense thinks that two Russian bombers intercepted by Belgian F-16s just before entering Dutch airspace on Monday, were meant to scare, provoke or test Russia's West-European rivals, she said to the Telegraaf.

Belgian F-16 jets intercepted two Russian bombers over the North Sea on Monday just before the Russian planes entered Dutch airspace, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Defense confirmed to NU.nl. The Russian bombers were heading towards the United Kingdom, AD reports.

The Netherlands and Belgium are now working together to protect the Benelux air space. Luxembourg is also involved int he cooperation. Representatives of the three countries signed an agreement on this joint air space protection in December, NOS reports.

The Dutch cabinet is considering creating a new "mini-Schengen zone" with a small group of countries. This external borders in this new zone will be guarded and passport checks will be done in an effort to stop asylum seekers with no passports.

The European Investment Bank (EIB) will make 350 million euros available for loans to small and medium-sized enterprises in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg, through a special loan program with the ING, a global financial institution that provides banking, investment, life insurance, and pension services. The news was announced by the ING Thursday.